True Love Requires Sacrifice: A Review of Ensnared by A.G. Howard

This is going to be a long one people; I’m pretty emotionally invested at this point. Let me preface by asserting that I am a fan of A.G. Howard and this series. Despite any negative or positive aspects of the books you read here, I recommend you go out and buy all three of them. After all, it must be good to elicit this emotional reaction. I love Howard’s writing. However, that doesn’t mean I’ll blindly accept any story-related decision she makes. The first two books in this trilogy, Splintered, and Unhinged get five stars from me. Ensnared had five too, right up until the very end. I give most of the book five stars for keeping me enthralled, but the last few chapters get two stars for taking the easy, most convenient way out, and if I’m not sugarcoating anything just because I like the author, a cowardly way out.

The ending is weak. Love requires sacrifice. When true love is involved with more than two parties, someone is bound to get hurt, and they should. That’s how it works.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. If you try, it’ll often leave a bad taste in your mouth, and that’s the case here. Instead of being elated that Alyssa gets the best of both worlds, I’m frustrated that things worked out so perfectly for her. I don’t believe it. It’s not Wonderland magic I have trouble suspending my disbelief for, it’s the completely unrealistic reactions of the characters—all three of them. Jeb was on point when he asked Alyssa “What am I supposed to do with that?” Referring to the difficult truth that after he is dead and gone, Alyssa will continue to live a happy life with Morpheus. Morpheus was dead on when he said “I’m tired of waiting. I won’t be a gentleman.” Both guys are in the right. The very least you deserve in a romantic relationship is monogamy—to have the person you love reciprocate that love only for you in return. The boys miraculously changing their minds and emotions and magically being okay with Alyssa loving both of them doesn’t sit right with me. Who would be okay with that? Alyssa shouldn’t be okay with it either. She should feel like she’s doing a constant injustice to both guys because she is. She’s giving only half her heart to people who are giving her all of theirs.

So Alyssa can marry Jeb, lose her virginity to him, have children with him, grow old with him, watch Jeb die, and then live happily ever after with Morpheus? And everyone is okay with this? When I first read this possibility in Unhinged I thought: the author won’t use that. She’d never bring it up so early in the series and then use it at the end of the trilogy—it’s too predictable now. But that’s exactly what she did. I have to imagine the Jeb fans are just as disappointed as I am on the Morpheus side, because neither side really gets what we want. What we want is for Alyssa to choose and make a commitment to our guy. But she remains disappointingly wishy-washy through the final pages. I just don’t buy it. I’m afraid in true love it’s all or nothing. I know it’s supposed to be magical and perfect—happiness all around. But that’s not how it translates for me. How can Alyssa truly say she loves either of them, when she isn’t truly devoted to either? I’ll admit her heart being split down the middle plot line was interesting—but that was because I was so anticipating her choice and the consequences of it—whatever it might have been. I was hoping for masterful writing illustrating the emotions in the aftermath of this choice, even if it wasn’t the one I wanted Alyssa to make, even if it hurt me. Because the nature of the love triangle, the choice, should hurt. You shouldn’t be able to escape from such a thing not only unfazed, but utterly blissful, not even in fiction, not even in fantasy.

In this outcome, Alyssa’s attention is never fully focused on either guy while she lives out her life. It’s like constantly texting your boyfriend while you’re out with your girlfriends—your attention isn’t fully devoted to either party so what’s the point of even being out?

By the way, can we take a side trip for a moment to expand on Alyssa losing her virginity to Jeb? Didn’t we find out way back in chapter one of Splintered that Jeb already lost his virginity to a 19-year-old waitress because he’s so cool and popular? But then he lectures Alyssa on not giving her’s away because she’s too special. Double standard much? Morpheus was so sexy throughout the whole series I sort of wanted something to happen between Alyssa and him. Then she and Jeb are at least even. File this away; it will be relevant later, I promise.

Here’s where it gets really ridiculous. Not only are both guys totally cool with sharing the girl they love because it’s “best for her” and at the end of the book they both turn selfless beyond reason, beyond what human nature allows for, but they are actually bros now—BFFs! How wonderful. Just like Edward and Jacob became friends in Breaking Dawn, just like Bella always wanted them to be, no matter how unrealistic that is.

And I get it. It’s hard. The author has so much invested in these characters at this point that she wants a happy ending for all three. Not only that, but whatever guy Alyssa chooses will disappoint HALF her audience: either team Jeb or team Morpheus. That’s scary. But it’s the risk you run with love triangles.

I’m not saying don’t do love triangles. People can have feelings for more than one person—that’s an awesome thing to explore in writing. But just for once, I want an author who creates a love triangle to have to deal with it and resolve it in a real way. That means one of the choices doesn’t conveniently die, eliminating them as a prospect (Nightshade trilogy) and that everything isn’t wrapped up in a too neat, too convenient package (Breaking Dawn). Remember that ending? Jacob has been hurting because he loves Bella and her heart will always belong to Edward. At least Bella is making a huge, difficult decision. She will lose Jacob, her family, and her chance to have children. All this she will sacrifice for her love for Edward. That is fantastic conflict. But wait, she magically gets pregnant even though Meyer already established vampire bodies are frozen and can’t change or produce fluids like blood, waste, or yeah, semen. So Bella gets to have children after all. Then, Jacob magically imprints on Bella’s baby. He no longer has to feel pain, because all of a sudden, all that love he felt for Bella is gone. Better yet, he will forever be part of her happy family, especially since the danger with the Volturi never comes to a head. We’re still going. Bella as a vampire, has a magical, unheard of restraint over her blood-lust so she won’t have to stay away from her parents after all. Everything works out. I actually would have gained more satisfaction from the story before all those magical happily ever afters. It’s harder to write and it’s sometimes harder to take, but if it leaves some characters unhappy and imperfect, it’s usually the more interesting and more realistic ending. Yes, I do want realistic in my vampire novels. I love fantasy, but if the characters don’t have feelings and emotional reactions like real people do, then there’s nothing grounding it, and there’s nothing to relate to.

Unfortunately, a too neat ending is exactly what we have in Ensnared. The conflict Alyssa faced between her two halves, Wonderland and the real world, was the driving force of the trilogy. It would have been the most important decision of the story and she never had to make it. Not only do I refuse to believe either guy is okay with this, more, nay, MOST importantly, Alyssa does not have to choose. Why introduce a difficult choice if you don’t have the courage to eventually make said choice? Yes, you will disappoint half the fans but at least you won’t insult their intelligence. Alyssa gets to have both guys, and all three of them are happy about it? I’m sorry, but no way.

I know I should be thrilled that everyone gets everything they want, and no one gets hurt, and nothing bad happens. Instead, I feel that in trying to appease everyone, Howard pleased no one. Part of the problem is, I don’t feel everyone did get what they want, not truly. I’m surprised more people don’t feel like I do about the ending.

Why can’t just for once, a character make a real choice? Think. Decide. Who do you really love more? And then bravely make that choice knowing full well you will hurt someone. Because that’s how it really works. This is what really bothers me. Because it’s so much more unbelievable than Wonderland and AnyElsewhere and any kind of magic. It goes against human nature. Selfishness, jealousy, the justifiable desire to have the woman you love, love ONLY you in return–that’s real human nature. And this is why I can only give the end of this book in a series I loved two stars—a rating befitting the courage it took to write this ending.

From a woman’s standpoint, two guys might be fun at first. But I know I couldn’t truly love and accept my life with someone knowing I’m spending eternity with someone else after he dies. I would just be waiting, dying to get to that part of my life. Which it seems, a bit, like Alyssa does at the end. So why even live a life with Jeb? Because she owes him one mortal life? Because she feels sorry for him? Because it’s her responsibility to keep him from depression? Because she selfishly wants to have her cake and eat it too? These are all terrible reasons, especially since the taste of that cake must be so unsatisfying with only half the flavor.

Men reading this: from your standpoint, could you really be okay with getting the woman you love only after decades of her living a happy life with someone else while you patiently and chastely wait? That’s what I thought.

So make a choice. The ending won’t be perfect. It shouldn’t be. People aren’t perfect and life isn’t perfect. It shouldn’t be. Not even in books. Sacrifice. Hurt. If you’re going to have fantastic realms full of happy, delicious fluff that only Wonderland could provide (and which, granted, we love) you must sacrifice something else. Because it’s all just too perfect. It can’t all be rainbows and kittens.

Again, I love Howard. I love her books and I follow her on Facebook. Howard is an artist, able to paint her world and characters vividly and tell engrossing stories. But I read her explanation of why she chose the ending she did, and it reinforced what I already assumed. I also read that she cut 10,000 words out of the final draft to meet publishing requirements and I’m perplexed as to why a chunk of those 10,000 came out of the all-important ending, and not, say, the beginning where we’re learning all about the dad’s family and were thinking: can we get to AnyElsewhere already? Another problem with the ending is that is was rushed.

At first I didn’t mind because I have absolutely no interest in hearing about Alyssa’s life with Jeb, how mundane it was, their skateboard-themed wedding, how many skater kids they had, or if Jeb ever snapped and ended up hitting Alyssa or the kids. (Sorry, but real people from those kinds of physically and psychologically abusive households don’t end up as sweet, gentle guys) Jeb was violent throughout the series, always threatening to beat someone down, holding Alyssa’s wrists, knocking her down, even if that action was aided by magic, abuse is not okay. Period. I didn’t like Morpheus better because he was sexy, or wore eyeliner, or could fly; I liked him better because he wasn’t violent or controlling and Alyssa never had to walk on eggshells around him. Morpheus gives Alyssa the freedom to make her own choices and to fly or fall on her own. Ask any girl who’s actually been in an abusive or controlling relationship and I bet they’d agree with me in seeing something scary in Jeb. It’s like the poem “My Papas Waltz” by Theodore Roethke: People from happy homes see a cute dance; people from abusive homes see the father hurting the child. But I digress. The point is, team Jeb should have been furious because Alyssa’s entire human life with him was glossed over and summed up in a few paragraphs. Morpheus fans should be unsatisfied because we didn’t get to see any of those dreams with him “teasing and taunting” her, and we get barely a glimpse of Alyssa as queen.

Speaking of which, would you be okay with your husband or wife kissing you good night and then going to spend time in their dreams with another person they loved? I don’t think so. Girls, picture it this way: would you be okay with your boyfriend splitting his love between you and another girl? Of course not. So why are we okay when Alyssa does it? It’s unsettling to me.

If it were up to me, I’d have done one of three things: 1. Alyssa chooses Jeb. She decides (the key word being “decides”) that she can’t let go of her human life, and she sacrifices Wonderland, or finds some creative way to take care of it without her being queen, without the dream child. 2. Alyssa chooses Morpheus. By book three it felt more like she owed Jeb (at least one lifetime) than loved him anyway. Let’s be honest, who is choosing the real world of working 9-5 over being queen of Wonderland? 3. This might be my favorite. Alyssa chooses neither guy, deciding she doesn’t want to hurt either of them by choosing the other, and rules on her own. We see too few female characters stand on their own in YA lit. If Morpheus is still single in 1000 years and they still want to have the dream child, have at it. What’s the rush into marriage Alyssa? You’re immortal. By the way, marriage to more than one person, that’s polygamy. I mean I guess she technically waited for Jeb to die, but still. She was in a relationship with both of them her entire life.

Decisions, decisions…I’m reading this book as a huge Morpheus fan and even I’m thinking Just pick Jeb already. I hate him, but I’d rather Alyssa be resolute. Or choose Morpheus and make Jeb have to grow okay with himself, be strong in life and as his own person without being dependent on Alyssa to remind him he’s a good person. Or pick Jeb, and let Morpheus find someone else. I was excited when this was briefly discussed in the book, but Morpheus only wanted to wait for Alyssa while she got her fill of another man and then finally came to him a lifetime later. Sure. Who wouldn’t be thrilled about that? In the end I didn’t care what Alyssa chose, I just wanted her to make a choice. As a writer, as a creative professional, when you create a love triangle you have to be willing to put on your thick skin and follow through. I hate to say it, because this option is a cop-out as well, but Howard would have been better off writing two endings, one where Alyssa picks Jeb and an alternate ending where she chooses Morpheus. Fans could decide which one they wanted to read and believe as true. At least then fans would have some sense of satisfaction in the relationships they’ve poured their hearts into.

Remember when I said my little rant about Jeb losing his virginity would be relevant later? Here it is: I have a big problem with the fact that Jeb can lose his virginity to another girl yet simultaneously be so controlling of Alyssa. He was going to have sex with Alyssa too on prom night because I guess he can do whatever and whomever he wants and remain infallible in Alyssa’s eyes for whatever reason. Aside from the fact that Jeb is a total jerk, controlling, and despite what the author keeps saying, will probably turn out abusive like his father—aside from all of that, it upsets me on a smaller scale that Alyssa loses her virginity to Jeb in the mortal realm and Jeb silently pleads her not to sleep with Morpheus on their one, last night together—Morpheus doesn’t even try, making him far the superior gentleman. Since Jeb already lost his virginity, Alyssa should have gotten to sleep with Morpheus. I mean the author wanted to make things even, right? Heart split right down the middle and all that? So why is Jeb her first, but not the other way around? No fair. Meanwhile Morpheus has to wait, unable to touch her, while she has children and a full life with Jeb. How is any guy anywhere okay with that? Jeb too, has to live knowing full well that when he’s gone Alyssa will have an eternity with another man she loves. He says that it’s the same as a wife remarrying after her husband dies. I disagree. This is a whole new ballgame.

Furthermore, I have a problem with this disturbing trend of jealous, possessive, psychotic, broken, abused, depressed, scary guys somehow being portrayed as sexy and romantic in YA lit. It’s not okay.

Morpheus while flawed, at least gives Alyssa the freedom to make her own choices and she never has to watch what she says around him. He’s safe. I feel safe when I read scenes between Alyssa and him. During scenes with Jeb, I always feel like he’s balanced on the needlepoint of rage, waiting for something to inevitably tip him over. There’s no possibility Morpheus ever loses control and physically harms Alyssa. Can we say the same about Jeb?

But what about Alyssa’s fleeting plan to choose neither guy and rule on her own? She would have been such a strong, independent female character that way. Instead she allows two men to share her while not being fair to either of them. So when I finished reading ensnared it didn’t feel like happily ever after. I didn’t feel the magic or the love. My feelings fluctuated on a scale from unsatisfied to angry to sad.

I’ve read the ending three times now and I want so much to love it. I’ve tried to accept it and embrace it like most of the fans have. But at the end of the day, for me, true love is between two people, not three. Half a person isn’t, and shouldn’t, be enough for anyone. Morpheus and Jeb are giving all of their love and only receiving half Alyssa’s in return. They share her, which doesn’t work in true love. True love is not that simple. It demands sacrifice and complete devotion.

Nessy Dimitrova Alyssa wrote: “We all know Morpheus is better than Jeb, but not or superficial reasons like he has sexy wings and eyeliner. At the end of the day it’s because Alyssa’s relationship with Jeb is a controlling, unhe…”

Okay. I read your review and I completely agree with you. I`m interested what will you think of mine, so here it is:

In the beggining it may look as if I am completely happy with the ending, but by the time you reach the end you`ll see that`s not entirely true.

“From a woman’s standpoint, two guys might be fun at first. But I know I couldn’t truly love and accept my life with someone knowing I’m spending eternity with someone else after he dies. I would just be waiting, dying to get to that part of my life. Which it seems, a bit, like Alyssa does at the end.”

You are right. I think every one of us secretly wishes to be immortal and I hate it that Alyssa just goes on and on and on about how PERFECT it is to be human. HUMANITY IS OVERRATED!

I also read that she cut 10,000 words out of the final draft to meet publishing requirements and I’m perplexed as to why a chunk of those 10,000 came out of the all-important ending, and not, say, the beginning where we’re learning all about the dad’s family and were thinking: can we get to AnyElsewhere already? Another problem with the ending is that is was rushed.

Yeah, we can agree that the beggining nestled everyone into deep sleep. I NEEDED 13 CHAPTERS TO ACTUALLY GET EXCITED! LOL! 😀

Jeb was violent throughout the series, always threatening to beat someone down, holding Alyssa’s wrists, knocking her down, even if that action was aided by magic, abuse is not okay.

That is it pretty much. I have a very strong oppinion when it comes to women and their freedom to choose and do what they want, so if Jeb was real I would`ve gone to a crazy killing rampage, because of his constant: “It`s not safe, I`ll do it for you”…GRRRR!

We see too few female characters stand on their own in YA lit. If Morpheus is still single in 1000 years and they still want to have the dream child, have at it. What’s the rush into marriage Alyssa? You’re immortal. By the way, marriage to more than one person, that’s polygamy. I mean I guess she technically waited for Jeb to die, but still. She was in a relationship with both of them her entire life.

EXACTLY! LOL, I have been rambling about that for ages. (Poor @Natalia who had to listen to me 😀 😀 )

I AM COMPLETELY AGAINST ANY MARRIAGE OR EVEN MORE !!!!BABIES!!!! ON THE AGE OF 18! 18!!!!!!! What even?
I guess Thomas and Alison are selfish enough to want a grand-child IMMEADIATELY….no comment…

Remember when I said my little rant about Jeb losing his virginity would be relevant later? Here it is: I have a big problem with the fact that Jeb can lose his virginity to another girl yet simultaneously be so controlling of Alyssa. He was going to have sex with Alyssa too on prom night because I guess he can do whatever and whomever he wants and remain infallible in Alyssa’s eyes for whatever reason. Aside from the fact that Jeb is a total jerk, controlling, and despite what the author keeps saying, will probably turn out abusive like his father—aside from all of that, it upsets me on a smaller scale that Alyssa loses her virginity to Jeb in the mortal realm and Jeb silently pleads her not to sleep with Morpheus on their one, last night together—Morpheus doesn’t even try, making him far the superior gentleman. Since Jeb already lost his virginity, Alyssa should have gotten to sleep with Morpheus. I mean the author wanted to make things even, right? Heart split right down the middle and all that? So why is Jeb her first, but not the other way around? No fair. Meanwhile Morpheus has to wait, unable to touch her, while she has children and a full life with Jeb. How is any guy anywhere okay with that? Jeb too, has to live knowing full well that when he’s gone Alyssa will have an eternity with another man she loves. He says that it’s the same as a wife remarrying after her husband dies. I disagree. This is a whole new ballgame.

You basically read my mind. I second that.

Furthermore, I have a problem with this disturbing trend of jealous, possessive, psychotic, broken, abused, depressed, scary guys somehow being portrayed as sexy and romantic in YA lit. It’s not okay.

Have you read the Grisha trilogy? I don`t know why I keep recommending it to everyone, but these books just have a magnetic pull on me. (I cried the most because of them) Anyways, there is that character Mal and your description fits him like in a dictionary. And the virginity control thing FITS HIM EVEN MORE. I hate this guy with the passion of thousand burning suns! 😀

holy wow, okay lol. I found the link to this on the Goodreads Morpheus thread. I wanted to respond there but I was afraid to, as someone who leaned more towards Jeb. I’d rather just have your response than a bunch of others’ responses. Your argument about Alyssa not making a decision is exactly how I felt. I felt that I wanted more insight into one decision, even if it wasn’t the choice I wanted. I wasn’t exactly upset over the ending, but I was frustrated and disappointed. I also just wanted to say that I’ve read the arguments on how Jeb is abusive & it’s more realistic that he’ll turn out like his father. First off, I was in a mentally abusive relationship with one instance where it was physical. The way Jeb was in the book didn’t come close to what I dealt with so I never viewed him as abusive, just over protective. I think it may have been alright if he & Alyssa came to an understanding about her needing breathing room. I do agree with that much. I know that realistically, he would turn out like his father but as a book of fiction, it is possible for him to not turn out that way. Oh and don’t get me wrong here, I don’t hate Morpheus. I just wasn’t too keen on all of his deceptions, even though he came by it honestly. Morpheus is really awesome in a enchanting way. He is loyal to Alyssa like crazy. I give him that too. With a lot of books that have love triangles, I tend to choose the guy I’d choose for myself. With Twilight, I was Team Jacob. With The Infernal Devices, I truly liked both Jem & Will, but I still would’ve chosen Will for myself. Plus with the whole humanity vs. immortality thing, I know a lot of people would choose immortality without any second thoughts. Personally, I really value humanity because I don’t think I would live life to the fullest if I was immortal. Sorry for digressing lol. I loved reading your well thought out analysis of Ensnared. I really enjoyed reading that we had the disappointment of Alyssa not making a decision in common. I honestly thought Team Morpheus was more satisfied with the ending than Team Jeb was but I’m glad to see it’s on both sides. I liked reading your argument for why you were Team Morpheus. I get it, I do. I enjoy reading other people’s POV on love triangles in books. It’s like jumping into someone else’s mind!

Hi! Loved your review and totally agreed with your opinion on love triangles. Alyssa should have made a choice, a sacrificar. The end was to perfect to cool. With that in mind, I recomend to you the Tiger’s Cuse series. It also have a perfectly written love triangle and in the end, not just one part has to make a sacrifice, but all three parts. I believe you’ll love it! If you read it, please tell me what you thought about it. It would mean the world to me. Thank you so much for everything! I sincerely hope to hear from you. Bye!

Hi Luisa! Sorry for this late reply but I’ve been buried under a pile of editing work and grading recently. Thank you so much for the book recommendation; I will definitely check it out. Hopefully, I’ll even get to write about it once my schedule clears up. I’m glad you liked the review–it’s comforting to know there are many others out there who were let down by the ending of a series they otherwise loved. Thanks for stopping by, and please continue to do so in the future. Take care!

I was seriously going to recommend the Tigers Curse series to y’all myself, but, you beat me to it and i definitely second you on that account!😉 I have to say that I completely agree with fact that love triangles are meant to have a sacrifice in the end, and of course, it won’t easy. It will be heart-renching and soul-tearing, the final decision bound to break you in every way possible. I have whole-heartedly sided on the rebellious, caring, teasing, and absolutely enchanting side, of Morpheus. How could I not? He would most definitely be my wild and rebellious counterpart in any circumstance and that is huge coming from me, I’ve basically read almost all the books with characters like him involving love triangles.😍🖤🤤💜I wish so bad that these fantasies weren’t just stacks of ink on paper, no matter how glorious they are in that form. I ache sometimes with the NEED to jump inside and live as one with the story and it’s characters. It hurts when I finish them,hwhich for me is usually too quick because I read super fast naturally),and I realize that they are only part of the fictional world I love, someone else’s dreams, no more.😭 I would give anything to jump inside them…ANYTHING! I realize that I could easily write my own fantasy with Morpheus as MY childhood and adulthood playmate, but it still could not quell that unrelenting ache. I would love to read more scenes between Alyssa and Morpheus as children, his quick teasing manner, which both infuriates and pleases. Their banter and the tangible push and pull of their emotions as they interact, they way they know each other soo well, I want more!!!😍 I completely agree with the unpleasantness of the finale, it’s just not right, it doesn’t sit well with the plot. Nothing throughout the story is truly easy between any of the three characters, so for the ending to be quite the opposite? Uh, nope, I’m not buying it. Though this is a fantasy, it’s a reality to its readers, so it therefore needs to play out more like one.

Alyssa, you’ve summed up my feelings on love triangles PERFECTLY (and so eloquently). That’s why I’m ever so grateful Cynthia Hand didn’t take the coward’s way out in her “Unearthly” trilogy. In that series, the MC made an actual choice, and much of the series was a reflection on free will versus destiny/fate. Thus, if you want to read a trilogy that is a more honest, mature exploration of a love triangle, I’d suggest reading the “Unearthly” trilogy.

Hello and thank you for your kind words as well as the book recommendation. Not only will I check it out, I’ll write about it. (Hopefully…eventually lol) Thanks for stopping by to comment and please continue to do so in the future. Take care!

Hi there! I’m a fellow fan of this series and I’ll admit that I wasn’t thinking deeply about this love triangle when I finished reading. I was generally happy with the way it turned out, although I think she should’ve just chosen Morpheus and been done with it. If she chose Jeb then she would get a mortal life, but Wonderland needs her. I thought about you said about how near the end it feels like she owes Jeb more than loves him and I honestly really agree. I feel like she should’ve always chosen Wonderland because if she doesn’t than she is leaving a whole world that needs her. It seems to be her duty to help restore and rule Wonderland. This could seem unfeeling, but she knows deep in her heart that she wants to be in Wonderland with Morpheus, so doing her duty wouldn’t truly be a struggle. I didn’t mean to write this much (LOL) but I really am looking at this in a brand new light after reading your review. Thanks for offering a new perspective! I Hope we can be friends!

I’m so glad you enjoyed the blog and that it got you thinking. I still call myself a fan of the series for sure. I still re-read the books, and after all, here we are talking about it. But that is really the way I feel. I believe there is only one true ending to every story and think she kind of cheated by not choosing one. (Though again, I think overall she is a wonderful author who gave me hours of enjoyment and escapism.) Hope to hear from you again!